New research shows preschool children with more backyard space and those who live closer to parks and water are more active than children from other neighbourhoods.
The research – led by Professor Hayley Christian AM from The University of Western Australia and The Kids Research Institute Australia and published in the journal Environment and Behaviour – revealed children living closer to oceans, rivers and 'semi-rural' neighbourhoods experienced 13-26 minutes more physical activity every day than children living in other neighbourhood types, such as 'higher public transport and destination mix'.
Children with more home yard space and living closer to natural features also engaged in more active play than others.
Professor Christian, Head of Child Physical Activity, Health and Development at The Kids and a Senior Research Fellow at UWA, said physical activity patterns established in early childhood often persisted through life.
"The goal is to find out what factors influence young children's health and wellbeing so that good policy and urban planning consider children's needs and support children to thrive," Professor Christian said.
"Continuing urban sprawl to support home yard space is not the best solution, so with the increasing densification of our cities, we need access to safe and attractive public open spaces close to homes, consideration of traffic flow and speed, increased tree canopy, and protection of our natural green and blue spaces for generations to come."
Professor Christian said the team had been unable to find any Western Australian or relevant Federal Government policy documents that specifically considered the influence of the built environment on child obesity, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and diet – a gap this research aimed to inform.
The study used data from the PLAY Spaces and Environments for Children's Physical Activity Cohort Study (PLAYCE), which has helped to understand how physical activity, sedentary time and sleep evolve from toddlerhood through to adolescence – and how these shape children's health, development, and wellbeing.
PLAYCE, which started at UWA in 2015 and has been based at The Kids since 2020, is the world's largest and longest-running study of young children's movement behaviours using wearable devices.
It is supported by funding from Healthway and the BEACHES Project, through the UK Research and Innovation-National Health and Medical Research Council Built Environment Prevention Research Scheme, and the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund – WA Cohort Studies. The study is also supported by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course.
